Adventure World theme park set to break ground in Poland

The $800-million Adventure World Warsaw theme park set to break ground July 21 will feature lands dedicated to mythical creatures, ancient legends, fantasy worlds and Polish history.

PHOTOS: Adventure World Warsaw theme park in Poland

Located about a half-hour southwest of Warsaw, the 240-acre resort is expected to debut in 2015 with a theme park, indoor water park, retail center and two hotels. About a third of Adventure World will operate year-round with the remainder of the theme park open from March until October.

Netherlands-based Joravision Themeworld Wizards, which is designing Adventure World, has worked on projects at Tivoli Gardens (Denmark), Efteling (Netherlands), Walibi World (Netherlands) and Futuroscope (France).

Laid out around a central lake, Adventure World will be divided into six themed lands with a total of 25 rides. While most of the planned attractions have been finalized, several of the ride names remain working titles.

Visitors will pass under a hotel to access the park’s bazaar-like main street entryway before reaching a central hub with spokes leading to the various lands.

The Middle Ages-themed Castle Island will teem with knights, witches, dragons and magicians telling the stories of King Arthur, Merlin and Robin Hood. Among the attractions:

> Merlin’s Rainbow Hunt - A Vekoma mine train roller coaster identical to Calamity Mine at Walibi Belgium.

> Magic Bikes - A Zamperla MotoCoaster with broomstick-styled trains.

> Storm’s River - A Hafema river rapids ride traveling through a castle and past a fierce dragon.

> Magic Brooms - A spinning flat ride with a cauldron at the center and ride vehicles themed as witches hats and broomsticks.

The Creature Lagoon kiddie land would feature cyclops, satyrs, phoenixes, unicorns and other mythical creatures that play pranks on visitors. Adventure World officials are still in negotiations with an intellectual property group that would provide characters for the land. Among the attractions:

> Pegasus Taxis - A Vekoma junior coaster.

> Monster Splash - A dragon-themed Mack Rides Twist ‘n’ Splash tea cups-style attraction armed with water cannons.

> Cyclops Fall - A Zierer junior freefall tower.

> Satyr Swinger - A Zierer wave swinger.

> Jumbo Ride - A Zierer octopus ride with bird-themed ride vehicles.

> An elevated pedal-powered ride similar to Sky Cruiser at Legoland California.

The Land of Legend blends together ancient Mayan and Egyptian folk tales and myths. Among the attractions:

> Challenge of Lord Ra - An Egyptian-themed Vekoma junior boomerang coaster.

> Mayan Slide - A Hafema log flume with two drops.

> Love Boat - A romantic cruise around the lake with Aphrodite.

> A Zamperla sea creature-themed carousel sitting in the middle of the lake.

> A Huss Top Spin thrill ride

The year-round Old Poland land is themed as a 17th and 18th century Polish town with a number of indoor attractions suitable for the winter months. Adventure World officials envision hosting Christmas events in the historically evocative land. Among the attractions:

> Magic Palace of Pan Twardowski - A Vekoma Mad House haunted swing that tells the story of a sorcerer who makes a deal with the devil.

> Book Mission - An interactive dark ride through a library where riders travel through traditional Polish stories.

> The Golden Duck - An interactive show similar to “Stitch Live” at Disneyland Paris where visitors talk to fairy-tale characters.

> A Soarin’-like flying theater with riders hang-gliding over Polish landmarks.

> A Mack Rides spinning coaster.

> A Mack tea cup ride.

Visitors to the year-round Lost Kingdom land will assume the roles of heroes on a quest to find a lost city inside a number of indoor attractions with volcano and mountain themes. The area will feature the largest expanse of sculpted rockwork in a European theme park. Among the attractions:

> Atlantis - An interactive shooting dark ride with water and projection effects set in the legendary underwater city.

> Ice Riders - An indoor launched roller coaster winding its way through the tunnels and caverns of a mountain during the Ice Age.

> Marco Polo and the Curse of Poseidon - A 24-minute indoor stunt show pitting the famed world traveler against Hades, the god of the underworld.

> Bumper Cars - Bumper car teams armed with laser guns compete to trigger targets inside an erupting volcano.

> X-Ride - Officials remain tight-lipped about plans for a “super” coaster from Vekoma featuring a new ride system.